Queen Nefertari
Character Profile At 24 years of age, Nefertari isn't the youngest Queen ever to have ruled Egypt, but she is one of the most well loved. A kind and generous Queen, she is well loved by her people, and by her husband alike and she cares deeply for him. She is almost always by his side, lending support when needed and offering words of wisdom at times when he is uncertain. She is a also gifted combatant, although she rarely displays these skills, preferring to use her talents as a gifted speaker and speechmaker instead, to resolve situations and conflicts. Family She is married to Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egypt, although the two were married before Rameses ever rose to the position of Pharaoh. His father, Seti I, encouraged the union between the two and was delighted when Nefertari became one of the family. Nefertari's own parents are unknown as there is some historical debate that has yet to confirm as to who her parents are. However, it is known that they were strong supporters of Seti, hence his encouragement of her relationship with his son. Nefertari was also the one who witnessed and attempted to prevent Seti's murder. She had been watching the sun set from the balcony of her room when she saw her father-in-law Seti arguing with one of his High Priests, across the plaza in the Pharaoh's quarters. When the High Priest pulled a knife from his belt, Nefertari wasted no time shouting out to the Medjai - Seti's personal guards - to warn them. The Medjai ran to their Pharaoh's aid, but not in time to save him. The Priest was imprisoned and as soon as Rameses and Nefertari assumed their thrones together, Seti's wife and Ramesses' mother, Queen Tuyu, encouraged them to put the man to death for his crimes. Ramesses, still just a young man, had never taken a life before and could not bring himself to give the order. Nefertari liked the situation no better than him, but she had witnessed Seti's murder first hand, and knew it must be done. She passed the sentence on the priest - her first act as Queen of Egypt - and the people loved her for it. Seti had been a popular ruler, after all. To see his killer brought to justice gave everyone a sense of peace. Ramesses and Nefertari continued to live long and happy lives, ruling side by side as Pharaoh and Queen of Egypt in the 19th Egyptian Dynasty. Facts and Trivia *During her time as Queen, her striking beauty and youthful appearance often made her the object of many men's desires. She became a muse for many artists, and was the subject of many sculptures and tapestries, all of which were gifted to her husband at key points in his time as Pharaoh. *As was the custom during her time, Nefertari lined her eyes with black lead ore, in an almond shaped 'cat-eye' style. This was mainly for medical and spiritual purposes. Ancient Egyptian doctors recommended the use of eye makeup to reflect the rays of the sun (like primitive sunglasses) and to keep insects away'''. '''On a more spiritual level, the eye represents protection (such as the Eye of Horus), and decorating it as such acted as a protective amulet. Nefertari was not the only one to practice this custom, as eye make-up was also worn by men. She and her husband would help one another to apply their make-up every morning, and remove it again every evening. *Nefertari's perfume of choice was in fact lilies and beeswax. Small cones of beeswax and lily flowers would be strung onto a necklace which Nefertari wore during the day. As the wax melted in the sun, the necklace would give off the scent of the lilies in delicate wafts. When Nefertari moved out of the sun and inside where it was cooler, the wax would harden again and the real lily flowers would take over the role of providing the scent, until she once more moved out into the heat of the day. *Unlike most Egyptians, who shaved their heads and wore wigs instead, Nefertari chose to keep her natural hair. It was naturally black, anyway, so she would simply cut and style it into the same fashion as an Egyptian wig, and nobody ever knew any different. She also wore her hair longer than any other woman in Egypt, as there was no woman with more power or status than her, and aside from her husband Ramesses, she held the highest rank of all. *When practicing with her sais, Nefertari would often show her fearlessness by wearing little to no protection against the razor sharp blades of the weapons she and her opponents would wield. Her husband often insisted she wear a face mask, at least, so as not to harm that 'pretty face' of hers. But the mask hindered Nefertari's vision, so she would often refuse to wear that, also - much to her husband's dismay. *Has had many near death experiences (as not everyone favoured her as their Queen). She survived them all, but one encounter was pretty close, and she was saved only by the lightning quick actions of a stranger calling herself Andrea Calviarri. As a thank you to this stranger who had saved her life, Nefertari gifted the 'warrior woman' with a pair of elegantly decorated sais, similar to her own. She never saw the Calvierri woman again, but would much later see another wielding the sais instead. This woman, Francesca Calvierri, claimed to be the daughter of Andrea. It became clear to Nefertari immediately that this young woman treasured the weapons greatly, and took great pride in them. Nefertari saw much of herself in the young woman and befriended her for the short time that she was in Egypt. When it was time for Francesca to leave, she asked Nefertari to join her. Nefertari refused, stating that her place was with her people. But she promised Francesca that they would meet again someday. *Due to spacio-temporal recognition, there is a woman in 2012 who looks exactly like Nefertari. Whether she is in fact a reincarnation of the Egyptian Queen (minus her memories) or it is all just an amazing conincidence, nobody has ever been able to find out. But, as the saying goes, everybody has a twin out there somewhere. Nobody said anything about them having to be in the same time period! Category:Historical Figures